Male belly-dancing sets Turkey aquiver

When darkness falls over the Bosphorus, veils are adjusted and sequins shimmer. Belly-dancing has been part of Istanbul's night life for centuries, but beyond the traditional tourist haunts things are not quite what they seem.

Women still rule the roost, but some nightclubs are now striking an unusual blow for sexual equality - male belly-dancing is all the rage, and business is booming.

At a club on the Asian shores of the Bosphorus, Evrim Sultan was preparing for his performance. He started belly-dancing nine years ago, and now makes a living from it.

"I just love to dance," he said. "I plan to keep doing this for as long as possible."

Evrim said his family were not too keen on his chosen career at first but once they saw him on local television and in a music video, they changed their tune. He has only one rule - no all-male audiences.

Evrin's agent, Erol, estimates that there are now about 20 men making a living from belly-dancing. Istanbul is their biggest market, but they occasionally go to the capital, Ankara, or to the resorts along the Mediterranean coast.

"I think there will be more male belly-dancers soon," said Erol. "This is an art form, and once we join the European Union it will be more open, just like everything else".

Many conservative Turks, however, are not happy about the trend. In February, police had to rescue a 19-year-old whose father held him captive for three days to prevent him belly-dancing at nightclubs.

In a city where millions of migrants from the countryside have brought conservative attitudes in recent years, such opposition is not surprising.

But male belly-dancing has a long history, partly because of Islamic sensibilities. In Ottoman times, men covered their faces with veils and danced for the Sultan because Muslim women were barred from performing.

"It was against the rules - among both Turks and Arabs," Evrim said. "So it used to be the men who were the belly-dancers - they were called koceks . I just do the same job in a more modern way".His performance certainly went down a storm with his audience. Young and old were dancing on the tables, stomping and shouting into the early hours.